Category Archives: Breeding

Any dog lover will tell stories on how devoted their dog is. Shetland Sheepdogs are famous for their loyalty. Actually, I don’t know of any dog breed that lacks this characteristic if they are treated with respect and affection.

What is shocking is that when the dog’s behavior shifts momentarily more toward his/her’s natural instincts, the owners may feel disappointed, even act hostile toward their pet. They feel disrespected.

All too often I find that people have difficulty seeing the world through their dog’s eyes and heart. They place enormous expectations that this animal is there only to fill some need that the human world has failed to provide. It appears their demands are a one-way, my-way or the high-way, rather than an equal partnership.

A few days ago while at the off-leash park with Sammy and Jade, three men were calling their dog which was happily romping and running several yards away. They called and called. “Come, Fido. Let’s go. Come, Fido. Fido, Fido, Fido. Get over here.” The calling continued and gradually became hostile. It would have been easy enough to walk up to Fido and put the leash on his collar. But no, that would appear they were not in control.

I felt like I should step in the offer a suggestion. However, their demeanor has shifted to aggression which sent my bravery skittering to the other side of the park. I felt sad for their dog and wondered if the dog continued to suffer abuse at home. (I’ve seen women be just as mean to their dog)

Jasper and Judy

If the dog doesn’t hear you calling (which offer occurs at off-leash parks), don’t get angry. Scolding the dog will only reinforce the dog’s fear of you and not want to be near you. Instead, observe how your dog is having a great time, interacting and socializing with other dogs and people – a very important component in the dog’s life. Do some training at home. Bring a favorite treat. Once he/she knows a treat (even a small morsel) is offered, you’ll have less trouble getting Fido back to you. Be his best friend.

Sometimes I think we get hooked on the idea of making the dog suit our needs, to be more human like, or better than human. A dog is a dog. Each breed has special characteristic which may, nor may not, fit into your idea of a canine companion. That is why it’s so important to consider the breed ‘personality’ when getting a puppy.

If you respect the dog’s natural temperament, and even admire the differences, the relationship will go beyond whatever you thought possible. If you want something the dog cannot deliver on, the relationship will be painful on both sides.

Your dog can be your best friend. Are you your dog’s best friend?

If not, do yourself and your dog a favor. Deliver your dog to a shelter who will care for him/her. They will find a home that will offer love, respect, and patience. They will be the dog’s best friend, forever.

In many breeds, dodging genetic disorders is becoming a significant problem because troublesome recessive mutations can be widespread in the population. The need to avoid producing dogs that are homozygous for a particular mutation drives the search for the gene and subsequent development of a genetic test. In many cases, these efforts are funded by breeders who believe that “identify-and-eliminate” is the best strategy for dealing with the problem. (See Managing genetic disorders: “Just eliminate the bad gene”.)

Unfortunately, because there can be dozens or even hundreds of disease-causing mutations in every dog,there will always be another genetic problem waiting in the wings to suddenly pop up in a breed. If we had tests for all the mutations found in purebred dogs, both the ones we know about and the ones that have not yet been identified, it would become impossible to breed if breeders wanted to avoid every risk.

​You can appreciate the futility of this search-and-destroy strategy when you see that even now, the number of known disorders in dogs outstrips the available tests. This is genetic whack-a-mole, and it will be no more successful in eliminating genetic disorders in dogs than the strategy of trying to rid your yard of moles by shooting just the ones that stick their heads out of a hole.

Claiming that a dog is “health tested” and therefore a good candidate for breeding is wholly misleading when there might be 5 available tests for a breed, but there are also dozens of known disorders without tests and more appearing every day (What does “health tested” really mean?).

We are trying to eliminate lung cancer without giving up cigarettes. We can spend millions on research and testing to battle genetic diseases in dogs, but we cannot win this fight unless we change the breeding strategies that produce the problems in the first place. Most genetic disorders in dogs are caused by recessive mutations that have been lurking harmlessly in the gene pool for hundreds of generations. They suddenly become a problem because of the way we breed purebred dogs, by inbreeding in a closed gene pool. The level of inbreeding in a closed population will increase relentlessly, and as homozygosity increases so will the expression of disease-causing mutations. This is not just predictable, but inevitable.

In an ideal world, studbooks would be open to the introduction of new dogs that could benefit the gene pool, and there are a few kennel clubs that are now permitting and even encouraging this. But whether the gene pool is open or closed, producing healthy animals requires a healthy gene pool, and for this breeders need to practice sound strategies for genetic management. In an open gene pool, this will prevent the development of problems, and in a closed one it will reduce the incidence of genetic disorders and the rate of genetic decline.

Here are three basic principles of sound genetic management that breeders can adopt to reduce the frequency of genetic disorders in their breed.

1) Increase the number of breeding animals

Smaller populations become inbred more quickly, so the simplest way to reduce the rate that inbreeding is to maintain a larger population of breeding animals. The easiest way to do this without producing an oversupply of puppies is to increase the number of different sires being used in breeding. Instead of a few individuals producing most of the next generation, limit the number of breedings per individual and make use of more dogs.

2) Eliminate popular sires

Popular sires are a double whammy on the gene pool. Not only do they reduce the number of male dogs contributing to the next generation by doing more than their fair share of breeding (see #1 above), they also distribute dozens or even hundreds of copies of their mutations (and ALL dogs have mutations!) in the puppies that they produce. The pups might all be healthy because they got only one copy of a mutation, but a generation or two down the road, those mutations will start showing up in pairs and suddenly breeders will find themselves dealing with a new genetic disease that seemingly came out of nowhere. In fact, the new genetic problem is the completely predictable result of a breeding strategy that creates many copies of a particular dog’s mutations. Blaming the dog (“We didn’t have this awful problem until Fido introduced it to the breed!”) is only an effort to deflect responsibility, because every breeder that used him as a sire participated in creating the resulting genetic problem. (For more about this, read The pox of popular sires.)

3) Use strategic outcrossing to reduce inbreeding

In many breeds, there are genetically-distinct subpopulations of dogs. They might represent bench versus field lines, color or coat varieties, geographic areas, size, or some other factor. Because they carry genes that will be less common in other groups, they can be used to reduce the level of inbreeding in a litter of puppies. The number of loci that are homozygous (with two copies of the same allele) will be reduced, and therefore the risk of expressing a recessive mutation will be less. An outcross every now and then can be sufficient to reset the inbreeding to a healthier level.​By the way, you will hear some breeders claim that outcrossing will introduce new genetic disorders to your dogs. But if you understand how recessive genes work and you practice good genetic management, those new mutations are no different than the ones already in your lines – they won’t cause any problems unless you create puppies that inherit two copies in the same one. New mutations will have low frequencies in the population, and sound genetic management will keep it that way. (See Using inbreeding to manage inbreeding.)

Three key strategies to reduce genetic disorders

Every dog – in fact, every animal – has mutations that could potentially cause disease, and don’t let anybody try to claim that their dogs are any different. The key to producing healthier dogs is breeding in a way that reduces the chance that an animal will inherit two copies of the same mutation. Doing the available DNA tests for a breed then producing a litter with an inbreeding coefficient of 20% is self-defeating and just asking for trouble. Money to identify mutations, develop tests, and screen potential breeding stock is all for naught if we are using breeding strategies that are specifically designed to increase homozygosity of the genes for desirable traits, because homozygosity of mutations will necessarily increase as well. You cannot do one without the other.

If we’re serious about reducing genetic disorders in dogs, the things we must do are simple and clear. It is responsible breeders, not researchers and DNA tests, that will reduce the burden of genetic disease in dogs.

KEY QUESTIONS FOR BREEDERS

* How can you balance the advantages and disadvantages of inbreeding?
* How can you use inbreeding to protect genetic diversity?
* How can you assess the genetic health of your breed?
* How can you meet breeding goals and also protect health and longevity?

​Learn the answers to these questions and more in ICB’s course:**** MANAGING GENETICS FOR THE FUTURE ****

Online course starts 1 February 2016
— available anywhere in the world
— 10 weeks, $125

Judy Weir: Deciding to have a pet in your home is a decision that some people fail to fully appreciate. It’s a commitment that will impact your home, family, your wallet and your lifestyle. After you decide on adopting a dog, you need to understand the characteristics of the different breeds. Even crossbred dogs will lean in one direction that the household may find too rambunctious, tend to be aggressive, requires a lot of grooming, has special health issues, etc. Once you have decided on a breed, the next challenge is to find a responsible breeder.

Of course, you can pick up a pup from a puppy mill or back yard breeder, perhaps cheaper than from a certified breeder. However, you may also pay more in the end to a vet as you discover the pup is overwhelmed with acute and/or chronic health problems. Vet fees are huge. The heartache – beyond words.

Over my many years as a Sheltie lover, I have been associated with many Shetland Sheepdog breeders. Yvonne Halkow of WillowGlyn Shelties, has been a valuable resource for me in caring for my Shelties. Below is an interview where Yvonne talks about how to know a good breeder from one you should avoid.

Please feel free to ask Yvonne questions you have about selecting a dog breeder, selecting dog breed, or anything else that is of interest to you about dog ownership.

Yvonne Halkow, owner and manager of WillowGlyn Shelties

Judy Weir: Thank you, Yvonne, for agreeing to this interview. First, how did you become known as WillowGlyn Shelties?

Yvonne: I decided to register a kennel name and at the time I owned a counseling business known as Willow Counseling so I decided to use that as part of my kennel name. The ‘Glyn’ part of it seemed to fit with the Shetland Isles where Shelties originated.

How long you’ve been a breeder?

Although I purchased my first purebred Sheltie in 1979, I didn’t get into showing and breeding until 1990. My first purebred male Sheltie was CH and OTCH Shancryla Bay Beary Bailey purchsed from Lorna Scott/Shancryla Shelties as a young puppy. We learned obedience first and he was a very smart boy finishing his Obedience Trial Championship by the age of three. He was also shown in conformation gaining his championship as he was being trialled in obedience which showed how versatile he was as very often he would do both conformation and obedience at the same show.

My first litter was born in October of 1992. From that litter of four came one dead puppy, one live deformed puppy that had to be euthanized, one monorchid male and one lovely female, who grew up to become my very first Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) champion and Best Puppy in Show winner. She was CH WillowGlyn Ebony N’ Stardust CD and she lived to almost 16 years of age. Since then I have bred or co-bred 91 CKC champions along the way. Several of those also have obedience, agility or rally titles.

Why did you choose to breed Shetland Sheepdogs?

I chose to breed Shetland Sheepdogs as I had always loved Collies but wanted a smaller dog so Shelties were ideal. They are also very people oriented and intelligent which was a major drawing card for me.

How does a person choose/find a good dog breeder?

Prospective puppy buyers of any breed should do some homework before they purchase a puppy. First, one needs to determine which breed’s characteristics are a good fit with one’s lifestyle, time and energy.

Finding a good breeder involves some research also… breeders are not all cut from the same cloth and even show breeders with lots of champions should not be automatically assumed to be the best place to purchase a puppy. Make sure that any breeder you choose does health testing for common breed disorderson both males and females in their breeding program. They should be able to produce paperwork for test results done.

Commonly, with Shelties the tests that can be done are for hip dysplasia, eye defects,hypothyroidism, and von Willebrands disease (VWD). Shelties can also get epilepsy or familial canine dermatomyositis (skin syndrome) for which there are no tests at present. They either have it or don’t and those that have either should not be used in breeding programs.

For Shelties, I don’t believe they are a breed that can be properly socialized if they are not in regular contact with people so it is important to visit a breeder to see how they raise their dogs.

You want to know if the puppy will be registered… breeders that are Canadian Kennel Club members are not allowed to sell non-registered dogs as purebred. If they don’t come with registration papers, they cannot be called purebred as there is no proof even if both parents are registered. Non-members can sell dogs without papers but they still cannot call them purebred.

Registration papers also belong to the dog so a breeder who has a litter that can be registered should not be saying that the dog costs less without papers.

All CKC members are expected to register all their litters and to all also register each individual puppy they produce at their own expense and in a timely manner.

Some breeders do not show their dogs but should absolutely be aware of the common disorders in the breed and be doing health testing.

For the breeders that you can visit, if you visit and feel comfortable with the way their dogs look and are cared for, as well as the knowledge level of the breeder including health testing, then you should be able to be confident about the puppy you purchase from them.

All breeders should have some sort of health guarantee – a short term one for immediate health and temperament which both become out of the control of the breeder once the puppy leaves their premises, and a long-term genetic health guarantee for inheritable disorders.

Pet stores generally get their stock from commercial breeders that mass produce puppies. Some are better than others but you will never know as any contact with the actual breeder of a pet store puppy is not part of the sales agreement… so you never really know where they come from, how they were raised or how much, if any socialization they receive. I doubt that most have health tested parents as testing is expensive and cuts into the profit margin.

One may also want to contact rescue organizations but not many Shelties show up needing to be rescued although it does happen on the odd occasion.

Thank you, Yvonne. I wish you continued success breeding the very best Shelties.